Film Production Student Justin Abraham Varghese Named Latest Recipient of BMO BIPOC Creative Achievement Award
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Film Production student Justin Abraham Varghese has been named the latest recipient of the BMO BIPOC Creative Achievement Award – and the first to benefit from BMO’s recently increased investment in the bursary.
For the 2026 cycle, BMO has raised the value of each of the competition’s four quarterly individual awards from $1,250 to $2,000, reflecting a deepened commitment to equity and inclusion in Canada’s creative industries.
About the Award
Since its inception in 2024, the BMO BIPOC Creative Achievement Award has celebrated the creativity and promise of full-time TFS students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour.
The bursary aims to help foster greater diversity and representation across Canadian creative industries by supporting students in overcoming financial barriers – enabling them to complete their programs and pursue their artistic dreams.
A Journey Rooted in Lived Experience
For Justin, winning the bursary is the latest chapter in a story that began long before he ever picked up a camera.
“My journey into film has never been linear or easy, but it has been deeply intentional. From a young age, storytelling has been my way of making sense of the world – especially when the world felt unfamiliar or unwelcoming,” he said.
“As a filmmaker of colour studying at Toronto Film School, I carry with me not just technical ambition, but lived experience shaped by migration, displacement, and resilience.”
The Return Ticket
That lived experience is at the heart of Justin’s thesis short film, The Return Ticket, which he describes as an exploration of “the emotional and psychological realities of individuals navigating life on the margins – an experience that closely mirrors my own journey as an immigrant creative finding footing in a new country.”
He plans to develop the film into a festival-ready project, submitting it to Canadian and international festivals as a foundation for future work, including a feature film currently in development.
Film Production instructor and selection committee member Bruno Lyra noted that Justin’s application distinguished itself on multiple levels.
“Justin’s application stood out for both its clarity of vision and the depth of lived experience informing his work. There’s a strong sense of intentionality behind his goals, not just in terms of craft, but in how he aims to use film as a vehicle for representation and connection,” he said.
“Overall, Justin embodies the spirit of the award: a filmmaker with a distinct voice, a clear purpose, and the drive to translate both into impactful work.”
Building a Career With Purpose
Looking ahead, Justin’s vision is both artistically ambitious and deeply rooted in community. He aims to build a career as a cinematographer and director focused on narrative-driven films that amplify underrepresented voices – particularly stories rooted in immigrant and South Asian diasporic experiences in Canada, balancing commercial work with independent cinema to fund and develop original projects.
In the long term, he aspires to establish himself as a filmmaker whose work “bridges cultures and industries, creating cinema that is emotionally grounded, visually powerful, and socially relevant.”
Recognition Beyond the Financial
ForJustin, the practical impact of the BMO BIPOC Creative Achievement Award is a significant one – particularly as a student balancing tuition, living expenses, and production costs.
“Financial constraints often limit the creative and professional opportunities available to me,” he explained, noting that the bursary funds would directly support equipment access, festival submission fees, and continued skill development. “More importantly, this support would provide the stability needed to focus on creative growth rather than financial survival.”
But, he said, it is the symbolic weight of the award that resonates most deeply with him.
“Beyond the financial assistance, this award represents something deeply meaningful – recognition. Recognition that voices like mine matter, and that stories born from struggle, migration, and perseverance have a rightful place in Canadian cinema,” he said.
“Being acknowledged by Toronto Film School and BMO reinforces my belief that I belong in this industry not as an outsider trying to break in, but as a storyteller contributing meaningfully to its future.”
With BMO’s increased support now in effect for the 2026 cycle, Justin and three other recipients this year will each receive $2,000 – a meaningful boost for students balancing the demands of a creative education alongside real financial pressures.
As Justin put it, with this support he will be able to “continue building a career rooted in integrity, representation, and excellence – using film not just as an art form, but as a bridge between communities, cultures, and shared human experience.”
